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Kisenosato wraps up keiko, changes stables in name

Jan. 1st - Ozeki Kisenosato wrapped up keiko for 2013 yesterday at his Tagonoura-beya lightly working out with teppo and suri-ashi exercises. The Ozeki was scheduled to spar with Takayasu, but the 23 year-old sat out keiko today due to illness. After the session, reporters caught up with Kisenosato and asked for his impressions of the previous year. "It was a good year with a lot of new experiences for me," Kisenosato quipped. When asked what his highlight for the year was, he responded, "The Haru basho where I started out 4-4 and then finished with double-digit wins. I was able to carry that momentum into the Natsu basho where I won 13." Facing Kisenosato in 2014 are the tall tasks of becoming the first Japanese rikishi to be promoted to Yokozuna since Wakanohana in 1998 and the first Japanese rikishi to yusho since Tochiazuma exactly eight years ago at the 2006 Hatsu basho.

In related news, Kisenosato now fights from the Tagonoura-beya instead of the former Naruto-beya. Upon the death of the former Naruto-oyakata, Takanotsuru assumed the Naruto name and took charge of the stable; however, the former Naruto's wife never gave him the official oyakata issue of stock for the Naruto name. In December, the Sumo Association mandated that all oyakata must submit their oyakata stock for validation, and when Takanotsuru wasn't able to produce the Naruto stock, he was stripped of his name and the stable was dissolved. Takanotsuru scrambled to assume the Tagonoura name, and he is currently leasing out the former Mihogaseki stable facilities until he can establish a new stable."

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